West Virginia History, Geography, Population, State Facts

The Mountain State

Great Seal of the State of West
Virginia

Adoptedon September 26, 1863.

The Great Seal of West Virginia, which is also the Coat
of Arms, was adopted by the Legislature on September 26,
1863. It symbolizes the principal pursuits and resources of
West Virginia. Described briefly, the Seal bears the legend,
"State of West Virginia", together with the motto, "Montani
Semper Liberi" (Mountaineers Are Always Free); a farmer
stands to the right and a miner to the left of a large
ivy-draped rock bearing the date of the State's admission to
the Union. In front of the rock are two hunters' rifles upon
which rests a Phrygian Cap, or "Cap of Liberty". Joseph H.
Diss Debar of Doddridge County designed the State Seal in
1863 at the request of the first West Virginia Legislature.

West Virginia's early history from 1609 until 1863 is largely shared with Virginia,
of which it was a part until Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861. The delegates
of the 40 western counties who opposed secession formed their own government,
which was granted statehood in 1863.

In 1731 Morgan Morgan established the first permanent white settlement on Mill Creek
in present-day Berkeley County. Coal, a mineral asset that would figure significantly
in West Virginia's history, was discovered in 1742. Other important natural resources
are oil, natural gas, and hardwood forests, which cover about 75% of the state's
area.